Asia Pacific 1943: Operation Cartwheel

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Political map of East Asia and the Western Pacific on 15 Dec 1943 (WWII: Victory Over Japan: Operation Cartwheel), showing the following events: Battle of Attu; New Georgia Campaign; Evacuation of Kiska; Battle of Tarawa; Battle of Arawe.

Their successes in New Guinea and Guadalcanal encouraged the Allies to push north through the Solomons. Meanwhile a second American force under the US Navy began a thrust into the Central Pacific by landing in the Gilbert Islands.

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Main Events

11–30 May 1943 Battle of Attu ▲

United States forces landed on Attu Island, Territory of Alaska, defeating the strongly entrenched Japanese occupation force over the following weeks. in wikipedia

21 Jun–25 Aug 1943 New Georgia Campaign ▲

On 21 June US marines land near Segi Point, in Japanese-occupied New Georgia, and advance inland towards Viru Harbour, where they are reinforced by more marines on 30 June. At the same time other units land on the adjacent islands of Rendova and Vanganu. Though the landings are unopposed on land, Japanese aircraft harass them in multiple naval actions and resistance in the interior is fierce. It is not until late August that New Georgia is pacified. in wikipedia

28 Jul 1943 Evacuation of Kiska ▲

Japanese evacuate Kiska in wikipedia

20–23 Nov 1943 Battle of Tarawa ▲

In the first United States offensive in the Central Pacific region, 35,000 US troops, including 18,000 Marines, land on Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, facing immediate serious opposition from the some 4,800 Japanese defenders (including laborers). The Japanese resist almost to the last man, with only 17 soldiers and 129 laborers captured. in wikipedia

15 Dec 1943–24 Feb 1944 Battle of Arawe ▲

As part of Operation Cartwheel, US forces land at Arawe, in Japanese-occupied southwest New Britain in the Territory of New Guinea. The landing catches the Imperial Japanese Army by surprise and the Americans quickly secure a beachhead. In response, the Japanese mount a number of air raids on the invaders, while their army launching an unsuccessful counterattack in late December. The US respond with their own offensive in mid-January 1944, after which the Japanese decide to abandon Arawe and withdraw north. in wikipedia

1940s 1943 Allies Asia-Pacific War Chinese Civil War Chinese history December December 15 Japan Japanese history Kiribati Kiska maps Second Sino-Japanese War United Kingdom United States World War II

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